I'm glad the pendulum is swinging. I grew up Catholic and attended Catholic school my entire life. Christianity today appears to be more narrow minded and conservative than it ever was when I was growing up in the 70s. In fact, I was taught to be inclusive, rather than exclusive. Modern conservatism is completely foreign to me and it scares me when political parties and legislation equate with religious affiliations.

I'm glad the pendulum is swinging. I grew up Catholic and attended Catholic school my entire life. Christianity today appears to be more narrow minded and conservative than it ever was when I was growing up in the 70s. In fact, I was taught to be inclusive, rather than exclusive. Modern conservatism is completely foreign to me and it scares me when political parties and legislation equate with religious affiliations.

Originally Posted by mrspoppers

It is scary! It should scare all of us. It's a violation of one of the founding tenets of our democracy.

As a Christian who believes the bible is fully true, I have a lot of doctrinal differences from a pentecostal. It's not even a matter of interpretational differences, unless one of us is being intellectually dishonest, but rather differences in light of straightforward, true to the original Greek and Hebrew passages.

In times past people have thought the "end times" might be upon them and were obviously wrong. I've been hesitant to call this era close to or the end because of that, yet a lot of factors are present together that have NEVER been before. In the end believers will be few and scattered according to the bible. Many are under the mantle of Christianity, in name but not truth, and when the going gets tough, and it will soon it seems, they'll abandon it.

I might sound like a freak for having my convictions and this sense of things, but I don't believe it's right to force that view or a related view onto another. It doesn't make me militant in any sense, but having these beliefs will and are becoming synonymous with blighting human progress, and so they'll be hated.

The following passage speaks more to the inner state of man, but what's also interesting and compelling right now is how world history is unfolding in a prophetic way. The system spoken of in the book of Revelation in the NT and prophecy in the OT was before we even had the technological and logistical foundation for it. Politics and practicality is encouraging it right now. There's a movement to build the temple in Jerusalem (G.W. signed onto it), and the impetus for more of a global order while a brokering of peace in the fashion mentioned in the middle east is nearer than it has been. If the bible is empty and void, it would just be highly coincidental these aspects of history-events and societal circumstances, unfold under a prophesied dynamic.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

People have been sinners since the dawn of time, but that dynamic will abound, in light of the gospel going out in the world. It's also interesting that Christ said "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

and "many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

That last part (bolded above) is what seems to be going on in our element, and for the most part, globally. Having the form of being of Christ while actually effectively denying him...not outright but due to deception. Throughout the ages unsound doctrine has been proclaimed and used oppressively, and people have voluntarily connected to it too. But when the light pretty much goes out-what has bearing is false but it's not oppressed upon others (like the Church of England's rule) but just what is connected to, like the mega churches furtherance of the prosperity gospel, that describes now. That's the biblical falling away, independent of external circumstances like existing under the oppression and spread of Roman Catholic rule, but light going out over the heart of men.

“It was only a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm all for a decline. Post? Yeah, that'd be cool and all, but I'll settle for a decline.

"And politically correct is the worst term, not just because it’s dismissive, but because it narrows down the whole social justice spectrum to this idea that it’s about being polite instead of about dismantling the oppressive social structure of power.
Fun Fact: When you actively avoid being “PC,” you’re not being forward-thinking or unique. You’re buying into systems of oppression that have existed since before you were even born, and you’re keeping those systems in place."Stolen.

In times past people have thought the "end times" might be upon them and were obviously wrong. I've been hesitant to call this era close to or the end because of that, yet a lot of factors are present together that have NEVER been before. In the end believers will be few and scattered according to the bible. Many are under the mantle of Christianity, in name but not truth, and when the going gets tough, and it will soon it seems, they'll abandon it.

I've thought about this too. And I've heard the same things. But I have no way to verify most of it. I keep thinking back to catastrophies of one sort or another throughout history and wondering if people were saying the same things then, e.g., the Black plague, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the African slave trade.

No MAS.

I am the new Black.

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

People, PLEASE! Newsweek cannot be taken seriously anymore as a in depth news source! I swear, I picked up that thing and saw ads for ice cube trays shaped like cats or something.
Rupert Sheldrake said that the more people move away from tradition and organized religion, the more the government winds up making laws that try take it's place. (It was in a book called "A Glorious Accident". He has a web site...)
And no I am not for ANY religion ruling a country via a theocracy.